Secrets
by Iris K.Rydel
Summary: A great danger threatens the Teen Titans, forcing the members to choose between Love and Hate, Team and Ego, Risk and Safety, while a grave secret is bound to be exposed. Will they be able to survive? Will they be able to face and overcome life's hurdles? NightwingxStarfire, BB/Rae...


It was another day, the sun had risen hours ago and yet Starfire was still laying on her bed, gazing blankly at the purple coloured ceiling. She left out a huff as her chest heaved, guilts piercing her mind, worries and pain gnawing at the back of her head. "You have to tell him before it's too late" Raven's wise words echoed and made her shiver at the thought of "it being too late". Because then he would not be there for her, she'd be alone, bearing his child, struggling to make ends meet in a world turned into a battlefield, trying to provide this child with both a safe shelter and necessary traits.

There was a knock on the door, which snapped Starfire out of her trance, forcing her to wake up, shuffle her hair a little bit in order to make it look attractive and drag herself to the door. "Yes?" she asked as the metal gate in front of her opened wide, revealing a figure she yearned so much to see. "Get ready Star, meeting starts in 10 mins. Better be ready. We've got a lot of stuff to talk about" he stated and after cracking a soft smile Nightwing turned to leave and probably inform the other Titans. Starfire returned the smile, though she knew he didn't notice...He had already left...

The time for the so-called important meeting had come and everyone, especially Nightwing was pretty pumped up. The world was sure at stake, no doubt for that, but with Joker wreaking havoc in Gotham and Doomsday conquering Blüdhaven things didn't seem to show up for the best. And among all these, there was Starfire, trapped somewhere in the middle or better say in a corner, neglecting herself from the others, it was just her and the morning sickness.

Silently, the red haired alien made her way towards the conference room, slowly walked in and took a seat at the big long table. Little time passed until the meeting started and soon the room was full of superheroes from every part of the world. There were Black Panther, Zatanna, Supergirl, the Beetle, Black Adam and a bunch of other heroes she couldn't even name. "Dazzled by the glory overload?" Raven sneered and sat next to Starfire, shifting about uneasily in her seat. "No friend. I was not aware that the meeting would accommodate such a large amount of superheroes" her eyes searched the entire room, studying every unknown face, as her nausea was getting worse, now turning into a mixture of ultimate stress and hormones. Raven could sense the tensed aura forming around her alien friend and she, as the only person aware of Starfire's condition, was responsible of calming her down and soothing every pain, either psychological or physical. "You need to relax. You're too tensed" Raven said to her friend, keeping her voice on a rather low tone. She couldn't risk revealing Starfire's secret to the entire superhero industry. The last thing she wanted was the world, especially the media, to learn about Starfire's pregnancy. That would be a deadly mistake, which would do nothing but cause more trouble to the Titans. "I will try" Starfire nodded as she took a deep breath and made herself comfortable in the chair.

Nightwing stepped in, a large waterfall of pride tumbling down his entire body. Starfire could sense that and she was happy about him. Pride made him more attractive than he usually was. Followed by the Justice League, with Superman to his left and Batman to his right, the so called Boy Wonder took a seat at the head of the table and shot a glance at his fellow teammates, who replied with a reassuring nod. A scarlet flush crept through Starfire's cheeks as his eyes rested on hers, his smile as soft and bright as always. She smiled back, though not as warm as he, she was weak and although she was constantly trying to distract herself from the pregnancy symptoms, they kept coming back, striking her even more intensely every time. After everyone had settled down, Nightwing cleared his throat and started to talk.

A few hours later...

"And so we must collect the appropriate information as far as Brainiac's plans are concerned in order to afford some time to regroup and reinforce our power. We need to form an alliance with not only the superheroes of Earth but with the mighty tribes and warriors of outer space and different galaxies" Nightwing added as put his hands on the long steady table, his eyes behind the mask shooting nervous glances around, searching for a reaction into the Justice League's frowned faces. However, he remained rather calm. For Nightwing that conference was a piece of cake, he was the leader of one of the most powerful teams on Earth, he had nothing to fear, though for Richard Grayson this whole process looked more a chance for the Justice League and especially Batman to judge him, an audition for some sort of military army. Trying to find some comfort, he glanced over Starfire, who seemed more terrified than him. Sensing the tension, Nightwing frowned and for a moment he spaced out, thinking of his girlfriend's bizarre behavior. "I believe the Tamaranians could be of help" Superman finally broke the awkward silence, snapping Nightwing out of his trance. "Uh yes. Agreed" the young boy trailed off, feeling Batman's eyes piercing through his soul. That damn Bat, he is too good as a mentor that sometimes it gets annoying. "As I recall Starfire is a royalty of planet Tamaran" Superman's deep voice echoed through the red-haired alien's head, making her jump inwardly on her seat. She turned her head towards the one man army and nodded, "Princess to be precise". A smile formed on her lips only to hide both her embarrassment and the hormone's outcome on her. "Wonderful" the buffed man added and he drew himself towards the leader, "So having princess Starfire address to her people would actually ease the situation. Am I correct Nightwing?"

"Mostly correct" the young leader agreed and cracked a reassuring smile but it quickly faded and got replaced by a serious and troubled disposition. "The only hurdle that could get in our way is whether the Tamaranians would be willing to join the war and fight on our side or...stay completely neutral" all eyes on Starfire. She could feel the cold glare of most superheroes, of the ones who found peace in trusting themselves in their own powers and people and the ones who considered aliens a threat. A lump formed into her throat, all of her nine stomachs started twirling and swirling, let alone the morning sickness which had yet to fade away. Why was it so hard for her to spell out a "yes" and shut her mouth for the rest of the conference? She knew her people would never let her down, her Knankrfka loved her and cherished her more than anything...Why? Then the answer hit her, as quick as a lightning, the problem laid elsewhere, away from the Earthly stereotypes and the various lectical attacks about her origin, it laid inside her and it was the only thing that could make her lose the claim to the throne and most importantly the pride of Tamaran.

Starfire could not handle all these thoughts and guilts gnawing at the back of her mind. Soon everyone will learn about her secret, not only Nightwing and the Titans, but the whole superhero industry. And as it is speculated, it won't take long for the news to reach planet Tamaran. Oh what a dishonor that would be for her family, her royal family. The great and just princess of Tamaran being impregnated by an Earthly squib, without going under the procedure of marriage or even reaching the appropriate age of reproduction. She was at her late teen but yet she wasn't emotionally prepared for this. She had an entire life unleashing in front of her. Adventures, a romantic love life, trips, action, fun with her friends and much more to see and learn about that world, that new planet she fell in love with. "So princess?" Superman asked, as he drew his thick dark eyebrows in a straight line, indicating his inquiry and doubt.

Starfire was nervous. Everyone was waiting for an answer she couldn't give...at least not yet...What mostly hurt her though was Nightwing's dumbfounded disposition. To her he seemed troubled, desperate, completely disappointed by her. She was a hundred percent sure that he was expecting a more empowering behavior from her, that he was waiting for her to take the lead, show the Justice League her power of will, how strong and determined she was. Instead she chickened out, gave into the fickle hand of fate, she stayed neutral and let him down...


End file.
